A Snake's Charm
by MovingtoRainbowSerenade
Summary: Ayame's urges get the better of him when he tries to show Yuki his love for him. His little brother runs from him, though, unable to show the snake the locked away feelings in his heart. Warning: Yuki x Ayame, in a way.
1. Noise From Downstairs

NOISE FROM DOWNSTAIRS

_I don't understand how one person could be so inconsiderate of all others. Perhaps that's what makes us opposites in the first place. He's just so self absorbed all the time that it's hard to believe he has any type of grasp on reality. Can he really be real? Human? Though, here I go again, ranting about my stupid brother. I suppose I can't help it sometimes. Besides, he's downstairs right now having tea with Shigure, so it's rather hard to ignore. Maybe I'm being insensitive by hiding, but he didn't want anything to do with me before. Why would he suddenly change his mind? All Ayame really cares about is Ayame. Nothing will ever change that. I guess that's just the way it is, but I still wish his beautiful looks could add up to something more real than an egotistical, aggravating bastard._

Yuki gently sat his pencil down onto the table with every bit of care, as though the house would hear him if he dared to raise any sort of noise. With a sigh, he closed the small black book and set it back into his drawer, tucked back behind everything else where it belonged, both hidden and secret. He locked the drawer carefully before putting the key in his pajama pocket.

In a way, Yuki felt stupid for having a blank book for his thoughts, but he often felt it did help; at least this way, he could get his ideas down onto paper. Besides, it had been a good excuse to get away from his brother, who laughed so loud that it rang throughout the house. The snake had always been so obnoxious. He frowned softly; really, Yuki did wish he had that confidence, but at the same time, his brother just irritated him. Perhaps one could not have such a high self-esteem, while actually caring about the well being of others at the same time. Maybe that happened to be the terrible the tradeoff; Yuki couldn't say for sure.

To him, the equation just didn't make sense. The rat didn't understand how his brother could be so careless. Yet, he knew that Ayame could pull through for other people after a while. He had just never pulled through for Yuki, his own brother. He could see why everyone looked onto the snake with such apparent admiration, but, still, the younger man hated him. Ayame never cared for him, and left Yuki to fend himself against the whole world when he had been so young.

Yuki stood and went to the window carefully, glancing out into the slowly darkening sky. Again, the younger man frowned. He couldn't blame Ayame, yet he still did it. His frown deepened. How could he be so horrible as to blame his brother? Yuki wouldn't think about it any longer. Pushing his other thoughts to the back of his mind, the rat simply felt thankful he wouldn't have to go to school in the morning. He hoped Ayame wouldn't stay, but Yuki felt more excited to stay home than to go off to school. His mind spun with exasperation; everyone looked at him, gawked as though he were something so abnormal to those people. Yuki knew it would never be true, but it made him more than uncomfortable.

All the girls thought he looked so utterly cute, but Yuki didn't think so. He hated the way they called him "Prince," and the way they would follow him, and squeal like pigs just for him. Yuki didn't understand why they did it; it would never be considered healthy in his mind, and it was certainly not over anyone worthwhile. He had a feeling their affection only remained simply because he hadn't ever been with a girl. Yuki had always been something untouchable to them, and he had figured out that the more one couldn't have something, the more wanted it would become. What could he do, however? The girls never listened to any sort of reason, and Yuki couldn't touch any of them. More than that, he couldn't tell them why he couldn't touch them either. He had been so careful over the years.

Yuki yawned carefully, feeling more and more tired as he continued to stare out of his window. The sky shown with red and orange, all the colors the beautiful sunset made belonged to Yuki. He couldn't help but feel sleepy as he watched. The young man had a feeling he was getting sick, which wasn't on his list of things to do. He didn't mind the sickness so much; Yuki didn't want to both the others with a simple fever. The rat had tried hard to cover it up, but the cold became relentless over the past few days, and was starting to reduce him down to his last thread.

The rat of the Zodiac frowned as he moved to his bed, and lay down across the covers. The cold sunk into the room, as though it had been sneaky in doing so. The young man shivered, and threw the blanket over himself before falling asleep. He had been so tired, which had been his excuse to come up here in the first place. Perhaps it wasn't just an excuse after all.


	2. Snapping the Bond

SNAPPING THE BOND

Yuki knew, in his mind, that it had gotten to be quite late in the day. However, as more time passed, he found himself caring less and less. There was no reason for him to move, anyway. Aside from that, Yuki's stomach gave a violent churn whenever he dared to move an inch. Half awake, he hadn't even noticed that someone else was in the bed with him. Though, admittedly, Ayame had snuck in when Yuki was still in his wonderful dreamland.

His older brother had attempted to wake him up by bringing him a nice cup of tea, which sat, betrayed and cold, on the dresser. The snake had sunk into the warmth, as a fish would take to water after flopping awkwardly on land for a short period. Ayame was only glad that his brother had not woken up. Of course, this did raise a few questions in his mind, but the blankets covering him and the gentle breathing of his younger brother had serenaded him into a daze, and he soon drifted off into his own slumber, forgetting all about his beloved brother.

Of course, that did not stop Yuki from rolling over to find Ayame sprawled underneath the covers, much like a child. After a moment of thought, the younger man's eyes darkened and he stood bitterly. "Get out," Yuki whispered harshly. Ayame shifted just barely in his sleep, feeling the cold seeping into him now that the blanket had been taken away. "Out," his brother whispered again, eyes gleaming with detest before he growled and lowered himself to Ayame's level, "Get out of my room you creep!"

"Oh, Yuki…you don't mean that," Ayame replied sleepily, "Besides, I brought you tea."

Yuki stared at his brother for a long moment. He hadn't expected that answer to come out of Ayame's mouth. Really, it had been a shock, though Yuki didn't drop his irritated stance. His older brother shifted, and pointed to the dresser, where the rat found a cup of forgotten tea sitting carefully. Yuki did feel slightly touched, but he knew Ayame too well to get overly choked up. "You gave me more to clean up, now get out of my room! What are you doing here anyway?" Looking the other way, away from his brother, Yuki let out a sigh. He hated how the other could be so thoughtless at times. No one liked waking up to someone strange in their bed, and a brother who hardly gave one glance to the other wasn't any different.

"You're bed was just so warm, Yuki."

The rat's eyes flashed back to his brother, who slowly stood, waiting for Yuki's bitter remarks to start once more. Ayame was selfish, he knew that, but he tried hard to be a good brother. He hadn't meant to be so neglectful in their earlier years. Certainly Yuki could forgive him. Though, as Ayame looked up into his brother's eyes, it felt unlikely that they would ever be kinder to one another. "You're so selfish," Yuki whispered, however, his voice had faltered. He hadn't been harsh. Instead, he had sounded almost hurt by Ayame's actions.

Smiling to keep from frowning, Ayame shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose, my brother…but I really had only meant to give you tea. I simply got cold is all," he said. Although, Ayame had were other motives to his actions for bringing him a simple cup of tea. He had wanted to be near his brother; Ayame wanted to fell him close, and the only way he could do that was to wait until Yuki slept. Otherwise, the snake would be kicked out and thrown aside by his brother's hate. "I didn't mean to fall asleep, but at least we got to spend some quality time together," Ayame beamed proudly.

"You call that quality time, you pervert? Sleeping in someone's bed while they're unaware."

"You called to me," Ayame replied simply, "You said my name as you slept, and I followed the voice to your bed. Am I really that perverted for heading the call of my name?"

Yuki shivered. Had he really called his brother's name in his sleep? The thought was so startling; Yuki actually dropped his frozen stance. He seemed to have melted, looking gloomy as he took a deep breath. "If I was unconscious, yes," the rat finally said.

"Do you mean that?"

Looking up, Yuki was shocked to see Ayame standing in front of him. His blood went cold as he stared up into the cheerful eyes of someone untouched by the hurt of others. "I-" It was the only thing Yuki could get out before his brother closed the space between them and pressed his lips against Yuki's pale ones. The rat whimpered barely, digging his nails into Ayame's shirt until he pushed the other away and wiped his mouth across the back of his hand. "You really are a pervert," Yuki yelled suddenly, shaking in fear, "And I thought you couldn't sink any lower!"

Ayame frowned, causing Yuki to freeze altogether. He had never seen the snake look so gloomy before, but there was no way Yuki would back down from this. It wasn't right to love your own brother, and it was defiantly not right to kiss each other either. "You're my brother," the rat screamed. Yuki coughed, covering his mouth as his stomach churned violently. Ignoring it was best he could, the young man ran from the house, where he threw up within the safety of the trees before continuing on his way down the path.

"I really messed up, didn't I, Shigure," Ayame asked, putting a hand over his face to hide his shame.

"It seems that way, yes."

"Do you think…I should just leave? Maybe he's better off without me."

Shigure frowned. He didn't think that was a very good idea either. Yuki seemed to perk up when his brother came to visit, even if the visit was strained and awkward. He knew that the rat cared for his brother. "No, but…I don't think you should give him another scare like that again. It might have not been a very good idea."

"I know. I just…couldn't control myself. I just…wanted to fix his sadness, Shigure."


	3. Sickness

SICKNESS

Yuki's stomach churned horribly. He knew he should have been home in bed, but his brother had scared him. His own mind had scared him; he had actually wanted it. What was worse, Yuki wanted to feel his Ayame's lips once more, but they were blood related. It wasn't right. They were both guys, anyway. The whole idea was so utterly ridiculous, that Yuki's stomach gave a sharp jolt. He instantly lowered his head, one hand wrapped around his stomach as though he might hold its contents in, while the other pushed up against a tree to help hold him up. The rat gave a weak moan as he ducked his head, ashamed that he could catch the flu so easily. He was always getting sick, though; it was hardly a shock anymore. Though, at this rate, he would easily turn into his zodiac counter part, which was not on his list for the day's activities. Holding his stomach, he began walking once more, attempting to run away from his brother for good, yet knowing that there was no way he would be able to. Yuki would have to see Ayame eventually.

His eyes wandering up, he caught the sight of yet another zodiac member. "Haru," he mumbled. He stared for a moment, watching the cow until the other finally noticed the weak looking young man and ran to him. "What are you doing here," Yuki wondered as he Haru came to his side.

"I thought I would come for a visit. Why? Is that not okay?"

"It's fine…I was just wondering is all," Yuki replied. He stifled a cough as Hatsuharu expected him with interest. It didn't seem right that the poor rat was coughing, after all. "Sorry," the rat tried, but Haru shook his head, eyeing him with concern.

The cow sighed. "You shouldn't be out if you're sick."

"I know."

"Lets get you home then."

"No," Yuki shot back suddenly. The younger man stared at him, trying to figure out what was wrong, but he couldn't seem to come up with a reason. Yuki's home was always so nice to go to; that's why Haru liked to visit in the first place. Noticing that Haru didn't understand, Yuki let out a soft sigh. "I…I don't want to go back yet. I'm out to get away from the house…not to go back to it. Please, Haru, just don't question it?"

Yuki stared to Haru with hopeful eyes; the rat was begging him not to ask, and Haru would respect that. So, instead, the younger man took Yuki to a restaurant in town to get warmed up. At first, the rat was against the idea of eating, but he soon realized that his stomach was against _that _idea. Yuki had no choice but to obey his body's needs, much to his dismay. He didn't want to spend the rest of the day spewing something he had stupidly ate. Though, as the hot soup ran down his throat, the rat couldn't help but feel slightly better. Apparently, soup really did help when one was sick. Though, after Yuki stopped eating, he did start to feel queasy once more. He had to go to the bathroom just in case, leaving Haru to wait.

When Yuki finally stepped out of the bathroom, Haru frowned. His family member was looking much paler than usual, and it was starting to scare him. "Yuki," Haru muttered protectively, "You need to go home. You need rest. Can I take you home now?" Much to his surprise, Yuki nodded. So, together, the two headed back to the house. Though, on the way there, Yuki's body collapsed under the amount of pressure he had been putting onto it. Haru had to carry him the rest of the way home.

Gently laying the rat down into his bed, Haru smiled softly at his cousin. "Thanks for bringing him home," Shigure said behind him. The cow stood and turned to the other, nodding once before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"What was this all about anyway? He shouldn't have been out like that."

Shigure simply shrugged. Ayame had left after his brother had ran away, so Yuki would at least wake up to a quiet house. The dog sighed, though. He didn't like when things were awkward, and this was defiantly one of those times. Ayame was heartbroken: a rare case, though the other didn't show it like most people would. If Ayame was upset, there was no real way of knowing unless you had witnessed it first hand. "Haru," Shigure commanded, "Go give Hatori a call, will you?"

"Yeah," Haru replied softly before going straight to the telephone to call the dragon for his help.


	4. Comfort From A Cow

COMFORT FROM A COW

Hatori came over in the next few hours, worried that Yuki was walking around when he knew he was sick. Sure, the rat did have a habit of getting sick a lot, but Yuki knew better than to go _that_ far. From the sound of it, he had been running away from the house. Hatori, though, kept the questions to himself as he examined his family member. Yuki looked up at him weakly; his face was hot and flushed from being sick and embarrassment. He hadn't wanted Hatori to have to come all the way here. However, he probably shouldn't have run out of the house either. Who would be able to stay, though? If your brother had the nerve to press his lips against yours, well…Yuki sighed softly, glancing up to Hatori as he dug through his bag. "You have the flu," the dragon of the zodiac mumbled, "I'm pretty sure it's just standard. Sleep, drink water…all that."

"I'm sorry, Hatori."

The dragon looked up, watching Yuki's face for a long moment. His body was undergoing a massive amount of stress. It was remarkable that he stayed in his human form. Perhaps it was a sign that the curse's grip was becoming weaker. "You shouldn't have run out like that," Hatori replied, "It's not like you."

Yuki shivered and, with a pop, turned into the small rat. He popped out from under his sheet meekly and coughed. Frowning, he collapsed across the covers and looked up to Hatori. The man smiled careful, running a hand across the rat's back. Perhaps it hadn't been a sign after all; Yuki seemed to have been suppressing it for quite a while, by the looks off his tired eyes. "I'm sorry," Yuki squeaked.

"It's alright, Yuki," Hatori said after a moment of thought, "Just rest, okay? I'll tell Haru to make you some soup."

"There's no need to go through so much trouble."

"It's just a little soup. I'm sure you could use it. Don't worry so much, Yuki. Just get some sleep." Yuki nodded, snuggling close to the pillow as he closed his eyes. Hatori ran his finger across the other's back before he stood and went downstairs to the others. Haru, Shigure and Tohru looked at the doctor attentively. They only relaxed when Hatori smiled weakly at them. "He's fine. Just a little flu. Haru," the dragon said as he glanced to Hatsuharu, "Will you please make Yuki some soup."

Haru nodded. "Of course," he said before he went into the kitchen. Tohru ran after him, wanting to help as well. Together, they made nice, hot soup that would, hopefully, help coax Yuki's sickness out of him. As they were cooking, Ayame came back to the house. He slowly moved to the kitchen, afraid that his younger brother would be there, but he was relieved to find Haru and Tohru. "Ayame…what are you doing here," Haru asked curiously as he spotted Ayame.

The man smiled. "Oh, Haru, just dropping off this," Ayame boasted, holding up a jar of cinnamon peaches. He smiled at the two in the kitchen before he sat the jar down on the counter. "I just wanted to bring them for Yuki, is all…can you give them to him for me?"

"He's upstairs," Tohru said kindly, "If you want to go give them to him."

"Oh, no, no. I'm afraid I must be off. So much work to do and all that at the shop."

"Well, we'll be sure to give them to Yuki for you then," Haru mumbled.

Ayame grinned, spinning on his heel to leave. "Well, thank you, you two. I'll just see myself out now," he said happily as trotted out of the kitchen. Haru and Tohru stared after him, wonder what that had all been about. If Ayame wanted to give something to Yuki so suddenly, they would think he would do it himself.

Haru let out an exhausted sigh before returning to the cooking. "Well, that's Ayame for you," he remarked. The girl nodded in agreement. Tohru put the peaches into a bowl for Yuki; they would give it to him with his soup and tea. Haru took the tray and brought it up to the sleeping young man. He smiled compassionately, watching Yuki breath in deeply. His transformation must have woken him up because the rat of the zodiac was haphazardly dressed. At first, the cow wasn't sure if he should wake the other up or not, but he finally decided that the food would get cold if he waited; he didn't want it to be a waste. So, Haru set the tray off food aside and bent down next to Yuki before he gently shook the rat. "Yuki," he cooed softly, "Tohru and I made you some food. Hey, c'mon, wake up. It'll get cold."

Shifting, Yuki slowly opened his eyes to look up to Haru. He was still a little dazed, but Yuki sat up regardless as the cow got the tray from the dresser and sat it down in front of him. "Thank you for going through the trouble. I'll have to thank Tohru as well."

"I'll tell her for you," Haru replied.

"My brother was here, right?" Yuki stared at the peaches in the bowl, watching them as though they might suddenly move. He took the spoon with a sigh before he started to eat the meal that his friends had prepared for him. It was nice and warm, making him feel strangely better.

"Yeah. He brought you the peaches, but I'm assuming you knew that already."

"I did."

"We asked him if he wanted to give them to you, but he was very reluctant to even see you. What's going on, Yuki? It's not like you to be out like that when you're so sick."

Yuki frowned, putting a spoonful of the hot soup into his mouth. He knew it would eventually come to this. It had probably been killing Haru to see him like this. He looked to the peaches once more. "Haru," the rat mumbled softly, still reluctant to answer. How would Haru take it? How would anyone? "I woke up to my brother in my bed. I yelled at him, naturally…but…than he kissed me. So, I just ran."

"I see," Haru mumbled, "Why did you run, though?"

"I was scared. Why wouldn't I run?"

Haru looked to the rat knowingly. "Scared Ayame liked you too," he asked softly.

"Haru, that's…tha-that's," Yuki stuttered awkwardly. He dropped his head into his hands, shaking his head as though he was trying to get the evil out of him. It wasn't right to love your brother so much; not in that way, anyway. It just wasn't natural. "I'm sick, aren't I, Haru?"

The rat jumped when he felt an arm around him. "No. Love isn't sick, Yuki. Besides, Ayame seems to like you." Yuki looked up to Haru, staring blankly until he smiled just barely. He buried his head into Haru's chest, crying here and there as the other comforted him. After a long while, Yuki finally finished his meal, which had cooled a little, and fell asleep once more.


	5. No One But Yourself

NO ONE BUT YOURSELF

The next day, Yuki awoke finally refreshed. His sickness had cleared, finally, and he made his way down stairs to find that Ayame was there yet again. He shivered, looking off to the side as he muttered a low, "Hello," to the rest of the room.

Everyone glanced to him, but it was Ayame who looked into him the deepest. He obviously had a lot of talking to do with his younger brother, and he wasn't about to doubt that fact. The snake stood carefully as Hatsuharu and Shigure watched carefully. They each knew that Yuki could defend himself no matter what the circumstance, but it was difficult to know and watch such an awkward moment pass between the siblings. "Yuki," Ayame said, his voice warm in to cold aura that burned between them.

"Thank you for the peaches, Ayame," Yuki replied darkly, hissing the words between clenched teeth.

"I thought they would make you feel better," Ayame muttered, looking to the side as he tried not to worry about their continued path of destruction, "May we talk in private?"

Yuki eyed Hatsuharu, who offered a comforting smile. Sighing, the rat of the zodiac gave one solid nod before he moved into the next room. Ayame quickly followed after, knowing this would probably be the only opportunity he could get to explain himself. He knew he slipped up more than enough. After all, Ayame had always tried, but somehow also always came up shorthanded with Yuki; he had to tell him now before hope was lost forever.

"I never meant to scare you away, Yuki," Ayame stared warily.

Surprised by the tenderness in his voice, Yuki allowed his shoulder to relax. He breathed in slowly, taking in the form of his saddened brother. Obviously, like normal, Ayame had not meant to do exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. "I know," Yuki replied, glancing to the ground in embarrassment.

"And I really never meant to hurt you in any way, Yuki. You're my brother…and I love you."

"Ayame," Yuki whispered.

Ayame watched his brother as Yuki slowly made his way to him. All at once, the rat fell into his arms with a long sigh. Gasping gently, Ayame quickly got over the shock of the very rare moment and draped his arms around Yuki's frail body. He didn't know what to say, but it was probably best not to say anything. He didn't want to ruin this moment, after all. It had been the first time he had ever held Yuki like this; he finally knew what it was like to have his younger brother in his arms, willingly burying his head into his chest. "Yuki, you mean so much to me," Ayame finally admitted, "More than a brother. Love that I can't explain. In a way, I don't want to…"

Tensing, Yuki pulled back just barely and looked up the snake. "Love that you can't explain," Yuki replied, "I know the feeling, Ayame." Yuki stared, unbelieving that Ayame could possibly return his feelings.

In one, swift movement, Yuki lifted himself onto the tips of his toes and kissed his brother's lips-

_Shigure moved away from the papers slowly, shivering at what he had just written. However, his publisher, when he told her about what the book would be about, happened to love the idea. He was rather stuck with it, actually. "All for one person," Shigure muttered, exhausted at the idea. He set his pen down, watching the paper in disgust before he stood up and turned to find Yuki reading behind his shoulders. He instantly froze. "Oh, hello there, Yuki."_

_"I thought it couldn't possibly be true, Shigure. She mentioned, but I didn't believe. Yet, here you are…"_

_"Ye-yeah, here I am." Shigure gave a nervous laugh, scratching behind his head as though he were trying to think of a quick way out of his situation. After all, not only had he written about people that he knew, turning them both gay and incestuous at the same time, but Yuki had found out about it. Though, Shigure supposed that he would have to see it on the shelves at some point._

_Yuki picked up the papers, his eyes darkening as clenched them within his fist. "Idiot. At least change the names, you moron," the rat hissed morbidly._

_Again, Shigure gave a nervous laugh. "It's an easy fix, Yuki…just have to go back through and change all the names, right? Just like you suggested. Right? No harm done." He smile uneasily, giving a small chuckle before something sharp hit his temple. Shigure fell to the ground __with a thud, shivering at the violent punch Yuki had just fired at him. It really had been a ridiculous idea for a story, but he just couldn't tell his publisher that he was, yet again, not writing anything. She would drop him all together. Besides, she loved his story; Shigure wrote it for her. There was nothing wrong with a bit of fan service, after all._

_"You publish this, you die," Yuki warned irritably as he walked out of the room in a huff._

_Shigure let out a sigh, shuffling through his papers haphazardly before dumping them into the trash. Although it was the only idea he could think of, Yuki was completely correct. Selling fan service was one thing, but he doubted he could go any farther with that smut. Shigure shivered, glancing once more at the papers before cringing. "No more stories just for people," he muttered before taking out a fresh piece of paper and starting on something new and much more improved._

END.


End file.
